Working Riding Holiday on South Africa's Wild Coast

An Equine Eco Experience

Are you looking to do something in your gap year?
Are you studying at an Equine college and need some practical experience?
Have you been thinking about taking a career break - just to see how the other half live?
Are you stuck in a rut and need to get out and experience life in rural Africa?
Are you back packing round South Africa and fancy just having a home base for a while?
Do you just need to get away for a few days or a couple of weeks?

Join us for a wonderful learning experience at Sunray Farm, Home of Torstone Sport Horse Stud and Wild Coast Horse Trails

30 day Working riding holiday on the Wild Coast
You get…..All meals, accommodation and daily horse riding for 30 DAYS!
+ At least 1 x 4 nights 5 days Wild Coast Horse Trail
+ A real life African farm experience.

Open to adult horse lovers over 16 years of age.

We believe that those of us who are privileged to live in a beautiful place and blessed enough to be able to do what we love doing, must somehow give others a chance to experience what we have. With that ethos of giving and sharing, we pass on our love for horses and valuable life lessons that only horses can teach. We hope that in giving others a chance to experience our life style and share our love of horses, they will be able to go away having experienced something complete different from their everyday life..

We offer volunteers the opportunity to come to Africa on a working riding holiday. You stay with us on the farm and should you wish to, you can give the local farm laborers children riding lessons. Horse lovers are given an opportunity to eat, sleep and breathe horses for a couple of weeks or a couple of month's holiday. You will be able to improve your riding skills, learn about the daily management of a equestrian establishment, work with young foals, school young horses, exercise the trail horses, assist and take out holiday riders on the beach rides, and if there is a Wild Coast Horse Trail booked during your stay you will be asked to join us as an assistant trail groom!

We offer a fun filled holiday, while working and riding horses.

Clint and Julie-Anne would love to have you come and stay with them. At Sunray Farm we offer a unique working riding opportunity on a farm on the Wild Coast of South Africa.

You will have the opportunity to work with young foals & yearlings
Possibly help start 3 year olds and be able to exercise and school our other riding horses
We offer beach rides to holiday makers and offer up market over night trails to international clients
We also compete in endurance riding!
You are sure to gain valuable equestrian experience, learn about alternative and natural horse care and spend many hours in the saddle improving your riding.

We require that candidates be horse lovers and can walk, trot and canter confidently. No other experience is necessary as we will teach you as you go along.

If and when we have capable volunteers, we give riding lesson to local disadvantaged children.

The following is included in your holiday package:

Meals & groceries at Sunray Farm and while on overnight trail
Laundry
Emails - check mail on internet once or twice a week, after hours
Accommodation - you stay with us as part of our family in 'The Loft' next to the main homestead at Sunray Farm
Tack and equipment for horses (you can bring your own saddle if you have one)
Transfers to and from East London Airport
If everything is done and there are no rides booked, there is lots of free time for the beach, game viewing, exploring our wonderful country and generally having a good time!
At least 1 x 4 night 5 days Wild coast Horse Trail

The following is NOT included in your holiday package:

Drinks, and soft drinks, cigarettes, chips, sweets and other tuck!
Toiletries
Extra diesel in the truck if you use it to go out
Cell phone, so that you can keep in contact with the outside world!
Pocket money
Other items of a personal nature
Day excursions - A day trip to a local private game reserve can be arranged. Includes 4x4 safari, lunch and elephant interaction!
Day excursions - Any day ride or other trip out does not include lunches or meals – these have to be paid separately
On over night trail - does not include your bar accounts, cool drinks, laundry and other extras ECT

We expect you to participate in the following:

Grooming, bathing, and general care of the horses
Feeding when necessary
Cleaning tack and equipment
Working with the young foals & yearlings at Sunray Farm
Exercising & schooling horses at Sunray Farm
Exercising & care of the trail horses at Kei Mouth
Assisting with out rides and trails at Kei Mouth

A normal working day is from 8 am to 5 pm with an hour for lunch. We spend the morning caring/working/schooling/exercising horses and then go down to the beach with horses in the afternoon. However, animals and holiday makers do not keep time, so we may occasionally start a little earlier and finish a little later.

We have full time paid employees who look after the horses on a daily basis. The point of you being with us is to do lots of riding, learn, help out and have fun! It is up to you to take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to you. The more you participate, the more you will learn and the more you will take home with you.

STUDENTS AT A RECOGNIZED EQUESTRIAN COLLEGE

We especially welcome students studying at a recognized equestrian college who need a 5 to 6 week period of work experience to assist in their studies. We will make special efforts to give them the opportunity to do practical work within the area of which they are studying.

Working Riding Holiday 30 day program sample.

The program is dependant on prevailing weather and when an overnight trail has been booked!
This is just a guide as to what you can expect during your stay.
Our morning starts at 8 am; we have an hour for lunch and finish around 5 pm in the afternoon. If it is very hot we might take a longer lunch and ride later in the cool of the evening.
The mornings are spent at the farm working with young horses, handling, teaching to lead, stand for grooming & feet ect. There are always several horses that need exercising and young up and coming horses need basic schooling in dressage and jumping.
During the afternoon you will most probably go down to the beach. We run a string of horses at our paddocks in Kei Mouth, they need to be fed and groomed daily. You will do lots of beach riding and when holiday makers book a ride you will be able to ride with them.

Week 1
We will collect you from the Airport or Buss stop in East London and bring you back to the farm. The first few days are spent getting to know us and the horses, and we will assess your riding ability. You will be shown our routine in grooming and tacking up horses, taught about general riding safety, and how to conduct yourself while riding in a group and with clients.

Week 2
Preparation for the overnight trails includes cleaning and checking tack and equipment, transporting horses to the paddocks at Kei Mouth and bathing and grooming the horses for the start of trail.

The next 7 days will be filled with great riding along the Wild Coast. You are expected to assist with feeding and care of the horse while on trail and to help out where needed.

Week 3
Once the trail is completed, we will bring horses back to the farm and all the tack will need stripping and cleaning to get rid of all the sand and sea salt!! You will probably need a day in East London to do some shopping, see a movie and have lunch. We can also recommend having a day out at Inkwenkwezi Private Game Reserve where you can do a 4x4 safari and see the 'big 5', have lunch and then participate in an elephant interaction session with the reserves tame elephants!

Week 4
We may have another trail booked, and you will help with the preparations ect. Otherwise you will have an opportunity to get hands on experience doing some 'round pen' work, 'join up' and how to 'start' a young horse. A day ride along the beach is planned with a pub lunch at Seagulls.

January 2008 to December 2008
Less than 27 days stay Stay for a few days or just a couple of weeks!	30 day Working Riding Holiday	Extra days if you stay over 42 days
£40.00 $80.00 €60.00 per day Includes all meals, accommodation & riding	£35.00 $70.00 €50.00 per day Includes all meals, accommodation & riding	£30.00 $60.00 €45.00 per day extra Includes all meals, accommodation & riding
Does not include an overnight trail. Over night trails as per our normal departure dates, itineraries & prices	Minimum stay 28 days (4 to 6 week holiday) Includes at least one 4 night 5 day overnight trail along the Wild Coast.	Join our over night trail for FREE and work as an assistant and Groom

Contact Farside Africa for more details